00:00:00 - Ryan is joined by Dr. Robert Baker, a postdoc in the Department of Botany at University of Wyoming to talk about PLANTS! Rob wants to understand how development and evolution of plants interact using everyone's favorite plant study system: Brassica rapa. It sounds heady but he explains it well, including how development got left out of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis. Ryan tangents to talk about E.T. because of course he does.

00:34:43 - The second half of the show we get back into the science of shoot architecture, which again, sound complicated, but is pretty cool once we get into it. We also find out what Rob's favorite plant is, and you'll have to listen to hear it for yourself!

01:15:14 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like plants, they keep growing and require the occasional pruning. Only one this week, since Ryan is flying solo. Fortunately he's able to double down thanks to TWO donations from Bob M. Thanks, Bob! Bob also donated some knowledge in the form of a comment about isotopes and stability in response to episode 218.